Canterbury’s reputation is known internationally – it’s a city that people have heard of, even if they haven’t visited before.

The cathedral and Roman streets and Chaucer tales have put it on the map attracting people from all corners of the world.

I’ve lived there, worked there and studied there since moving to Kent 14 years ago and making the county my home.

So naturally, it’s a place I know pretty well and have explored many of the bars, restaurants, parks, entertainment venues and things to do.

But this summer, I think I discovered the perfect way to spend 24 hours in the city whether you’ve been in Kent for 20 years or got off the train 20 minutes ago.

Along with its historic attractions, a new string to its bow has been added to the offering.

The English wine industry is booming and Canterbury is at the heart of it.

The closest base to arguably the best terroir in the country, the city and surrounding countryside is home to Simpsons’ - one of Kent’s top winemakers.

The vineyard and state-of-the-art winery is located in Barham just a few miles south and within the Kent Downs.

They have launched a new experience in partnership with the Abode hotel smack bang in the middle of town.

And it is the perfect celebration of our historic city, a touch of luxury, decadence in our beautiful part of the world.

Guests start the day at the hotel before being whisked away in a private transfer to the vineyard for an intimate tour and tasting experience before returning for afternoon tea and wine-matched dinner back at the hotel – more on that later.

We’re welcomed at Simpsons’ by Henry Rymill, sales and events manager, who tells us about how the vineyard came to be here in this sunny haven in the picture-postcard-perfect village.

A new one in viticulture terms, the first vines were planted in 2014 at the Roman Road vineyard – a romanticised name paying homage to the nearby A2, or rather the Roman route of Watling Street route linking Richborough to London constructed almost 2,000 years ago.

It took two years for those vines to produce their first crop and at about the same time, a second vineyard – Railway Hill – was planted which Henry tells us is really “hitting its straps” now.

A third vineyard, Bonnybush Hill, a 25-acre pocket has also just been planted.

As a wine novice and a newcomer to the scene – although certainly someone catching the “wine bug” – I’m fascinated to see the vines in action, coming into fruit and entering the final ripening stages before harvest in early October and find out why this part of Kent is so special.

So after a short stroll across Barham from the winery and visitor centre, to be welcomed by a field of green vines standing tall and proud in the bright sunshine is quite an impressive and majestic sight.

The winemakers are getting excited too with the warm late summer weather, which has come at the perfect time for a good crop and yield of fruit.

The biggest pitfall to growing grapes and winemaking in Britain is naturally the relative temperate climate and its indifference from one year to the next.

But while much of the summer has been something of a washout until the last few weeks, Henry says it’s still been a pretty good one for the vines.

But why plant in Kent and how do you decide what to plant?

Well, for Ruth and Charles Simpson, the couple who own the vineyard, they embarked on a long search taking in New Zealand and Australia to add to their other venture in the Languedoc in France.

But this pocket of south east England turns out to ideal country to be planting vines and so Barham it was.

With an abundance of south-facing slopes maximising exposure to the sun for ripeness, free draining soil and chalk retaining just enough water for vines to draw on during dry spells – it is all very similar to the Champagne and Burgundy regions in France and all the hallmarks you’d want.

The same chalk seam running under the Channel links both these areas – although where it starts and finishes is something which could trigger another Anglo-French war.

With that in mind, the ground is ideal territory to grow the three most common grape varieties for making sparkling wine – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.

The sparkling wine industry in England is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best in the world with some wines even performing better in taste tests against champagnes and winning awards over the French rivals.

The reason for starting with fizz in England? Well, the weather again.

Sparkling wine doesn’t require grapes to be as ripe – so requires less sunshine – as still wines but in recent years the level and quality of the crops is seeing still wines coming to the fore.

And the results are fantastic, fresh and crisp, fruity and floral is the general style seen from English wines – still and sparkling.

They say there’s no wrong answer when it comes to tasting wine and that everything is down to personal preference.

While I’ve not sampled from every Kent vineyard – there’s more than 50 now – whenever I get the chance to try a new one, I do.

I can honestly say, so far Simpsons’ is my favourite, for the richness, freshness, drinkability and because they produce a unique one even Henry with some 30 years in the trade says he’s never seen made before – incidentally it’s the best wine I’ve ever had.

That would be the Derringstone Pinot Meunier – made with the pinot meunier grape, which is a red grape yet the winemakers produce a white wine from it. It’s a smooth, extremely easy to drink wine with a hint of pears and berries.

Then with the sublime oak-aged Roman Road Chardonnay giving you a sensational burst of honey, peach and the smoothness brought from ageing white wine in oak barrels creating an almost nutty or vanilla flavour, Simpson’s are making things you’ve never experienced before and are certainly wanting to go back for.

I’m not going to go through every tasting note for everything they make – that’s for you, dear reader, to experience yourself – but I can highly recommend the White Cliffs Blanc de Blancs sparkling as well as the two above.

Admittedly I’m normally not a huge fan of fizz but this one took my breath away and has way more flavour and fruitiness than you normally experience with a champagne or other sparkling wines.

The tasting finishes with a bit of fun and possibly the only tasting room in the country where you exit via the slide. Yep, a slide.

Lean back and get down there as fast as you can is the only advice there. Just watch out when you reach the bottom and try not to fall flat on your face.

Learning about the winemaking process, ageing and how you get from vine to bottle and then tasting the results is a truly exciting experience.

On return to the Abode, guests are able to check in to their room which are all appointed beautifully with huge beds, all the touches and necessities one wants and the extra special touch of a Simpson’s hamper.

Then there’s afternoon tea presented with another glass of Simpsons’ sparkling wine – this time the Chalklands Cuvee – and wonderfully prepared cakes, savouries (the handmade sausage roll and cheese tartlets were superb) and sandwiches, all before the main event – the four-course dinner and wine pairings.

Having whiled away afternoon tea overlooking Canterbury’s high street, there’s a bit of time to enjoy the city’s sights for the first-time visitor and walk off the cake along the river at the Westgate Gardens or the Franciscan Gardens, explore the cathedral or a bit of retail therapy or just soak in the city’s heritage.

Dinner is served at 7pm in the hotel’s County Restaurant and as you might have guessed, kicked off with an aperitif glass of something sparkling – the Blanc de Blancs makes a return.

As the food menu is specially prepared on the night to match a selection of Simpsons’ wines – the wines dictate the menu – there wouldn’t be much use in recommending what to order.

However, all I can say is that every mouthful was delicious and perfectly complemented the wines selected for that evening’s service.

The particular highlight for me was the feta, watermelon and parma ham salad alongside the excellent Railway Hill Rose which made for a perfect summer starter.

I couldn’t get enough of the crab, tomato and basil matched with the Roman Road Chardonnay – which, alongside the Pinot Meunier, is easily also in my top five.

Dinner with wine pairings was something I’ve never experienced before.

But you are really dealing with experts in their fields from the chefs to the advice presented by our man Henry who does an excellent job informing us about each of the different vintages and how it works with the menu.

The Abode hosts what it calls its Wine Dinners once a month – normally on a Thursday evening but check the website for full details – including the Simpsons’ nights and other themed events ranging from Mediterranean gems and wines from volcanic regions.

At £60 per person for the dinner-only part with four courses and five glasses of wine at this level of quality, it really is a top gastronomic feast and a very special experience – so look out for the next Simpsons’ one on October 12.

The hotel was extremely accommodating for dietary requirements as well, specially preparing the afternoon tea and amending the dinner menu to suit, which is a hallmark of the treatment and attention we received while on this trip.

And having walked past the Abode so many times as a Kent resident all these years and never entered, I have been left questioning myself “why?”.

There were so many elements of this trip which amazed the tastebuds, informed me and overall just made everything feel incredibly special.

The full package including the overnight stay is expensive – that much I will say – and won’t be for everyone.

But for a sense of luxury and the true level of hospitality it is absolutely one of the very best and the ideal way to experience Canterbury.

*Matt was staying as a guest of the Abode and Simpsons’ on the Overnight Simpsons' Wine Tour Experience priced from £765 per room based on two sharing.

Abode Wine Dinners in the three-AA Rosette County Restaurant priced £60pp – advanced bookings recommended, visit the Abode website or call 01227 766266.

Afternoon tea, dinner, bed and breakfast plus all transfers included in overnight stay package upgrade.

Simpsons’ wine tours are available to book directly – for more information and availability visit the Simpsons website.